Oxfammers give MPs the low carbon lowdown
2 April 2008
Two weeks ago three Oxfam activists made a trip to Westminster to meet the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat spokesmen for a chat about climate change.
The trip was part of our carbon competition, which we launched on our website at the start of the year, where entrants were asked to calculate their carbon footprint online.
The carbon bashing winners (the entrants with the lowest carbon footprints) were John Cossham from York, Kat Jones from Glasgow and Anna Plodowski from London.
Here, John, Kat and Anna share their account of their trip to Westminster:
We entered the competition to show that there are many people working to reduce their personal greenhouse gas emissions, making low carbon living really possible. For us, the competition was a unique opportunity to 'get to' decision makers and deliver views and inspiration in a personal way.
We started our day with Hilary Benn [Labour], who seemed genuinely interested in our story and opinions. A short walk followed to the Palace of Westminster to meet Peter Ainsworth [Conservative] for coffee in the Pugin Room. Unexpectedly, he came across as the 'greenest' or most sympathetic to our cause.
At noon we watched parliamentary questions live, which was fascinating, then we lunched with Steve Webb [Liberal Democrats], who allowed us to sit in on his Environment Committee meeting with MPs, Lords and advisors. This was a great way to see how the political process works and to hear more details about future exciting policy proposals.
Ending the day with reflection over a cup of tea, we felt really encouraged that all three MPs understood the need for drastic action to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but were concerned that that none of them really seemed to recognise the urgency of the situation: that we can't keep waiting indefinitely for mainstream public opinion before taking decisive action.
Overall, we feel more determined and inspired to continue working for change, both at the level of personal behavioural change, and politically.
Thank you Oxfam for a really amazing and inspiring day!
Comments:
Que se no olvide de las personas e de nuestro clima.
Antonio da Silva Ortega | April 3, 2008 10:39 AM